Chapel Hill Shooting: 3 Muslim Students Dead, Suspect in Custody

A Chapel Hill shooting claimed the lives of three college students — a man, his wife, and her sister — Tuesday at a condominium complex near the University of North Carolina, The Associated Press reported.

Craig Stephen Hicks, 46, was charged with three counts of first-degree murder in the shooting, Chapel Hill police told local news outlets. He is being held at the Durham County Jail and was expected to make a first court appearance Wednesday morning.

About 5:15 p.m. Tuesday, police responded to a report of gunshots. They found three people who were pronounced dead at the scene. They were identified as Deah Shaddy Barakat, 23, of Chapel Hill; Yusor Mohammad, 21, of Chapel Hill; and Razan Mohammad Abu-Salha, 19, of Raleigh.

Barakat and Mohammad were married, and Abu-Salha was Mohammad's sister, according to UNC.

Barakat was a second-year dental student there, and Yusor was scheduled to begin dental studies in the fall.

Both had graduated from North Carolina State University, school spokesman Mick Kulikowski said. Barakat graduated with a business administration degree in the spring of 2013. Mohammad graduated in December with a biological sciences degree.

Abu-Salha was a freshman design major who had started classes last fall, Kulikowski said.

The neighborhood where they were found — immediately east of campus — consists mostly of apartments and condominiums rented by students. Neighbors there said Wednesday morning that never before seen police or had crime problems.

"It's a very quiet community," resident Bethany Boring told WRAL-TV. "It's a lot of graduate and professional students. You know, professional families."

Crime tape hung near the apartment where the victims were found, but otherwise there was no indication of a crime scene. Outside the victim's apartment, a woman's bicycle with a helmet was parked by the stairs.

Police have not released a motive and said the investigation is continuing. A police spokesman did not immediately return telephone messages Wednesday. UNC said its chancellor would issue a message to campus later Wednesday but gave no other details.

A Chapel Hill shooting claimed the lives of three college students — a man, his wife, and her sister — Tuesday at a condominium complex near the University of North Carolina, The Associated Press reported.